


Thank You

by percyspandapillowpet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, a tiny bit of angst, post-TCC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-11 22:23:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10475760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percyspandapillowpet/pseuds/percyspandapillowpet
Summary: “Hey,” Albus cut in, tapping on his shoulder and pulling him out of his worries. “What’s up?”“Nothing,” Scorpius lied, not making eye contact.“I don’t believe that for a second,” Albus argued. “I know that face. You’re thinking too hard about something.”Scorpius didn’t respond.Albus rested a hand on his arm. “You can tell me anything. I’m your best friend, Scorp.”He was right. Scorpius knew he could tell him his deepest secrets, his dumbest worries, his craziest ideas, and he wouldn’t judge him for any of it. When Albus said he could trust him, that was a promise that wouldn’t be revoked.Except maybe if Scorpius was to open up about his romantic desires.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this during the summer and it was meant to be part of a much longer project, but I sort of abandoned it. Maybe someday I'll pick it up again; who knows. 
> 
> This is my first fic that I've posted on here that isn't Solangelo! Let me know how you like it :)

By the summer after fourth year, Scorpius was well aware that he was in love with his best friend.

He felt like, deep down inside, he had always known. Albus Severus Potter was the closest thing to perfection. His kindness, excitement, and utter dorkiness—not to mention his exquisite good looks—had all succeeded in capturing his heart, and at the current time it appeared impossible to break free. Scorpius wasn’t complaining, really, but each day he found himself wondering if he could ever work up the courage to spill his feelings—and whether or not they would be returned.

They rode home together on the Hogwarts Express, just the two of them claiming a whole compartment to themselves. It was unlikely that anyone else would want to sit with them in the first place, but they closed the doors and spread their belongings across one of the benches, sitting together on the opposite side.

“This’s been a pretty wild year, eh?” Albus murmured, gazing out the window at the lush English countryside. 

“Yeah,” Scorpius agreed halfheartedly, watching the reflection of his eyes in the glass. This small talk wasn’t going to cut it. He wanted to say something, anything, that could guarantee some form of contact this summer. He needed it. Sure, every year they would write letters back and forth, but they were never able to see each other in the flesh until school started back up again. This year, Scorpius wanted to change that. After all they had been through together this fall, they had developed an even deeper friendship than ever before, and he couldn’t bare the thought of not being with Albus for a whole two and a half months. Besides, with his mother gone now, he was going to be desperately lonely. Yeah, he had his father, who was always loving and supportive, but he was also very reserved and stoic and would now be even more so in his mourning.

“Hey,” Albus cut in, tapping on his shoulder and pulling him out of his worries. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Scorpius lied, not making eye contact.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Albus argued. “I know that face. You’re thinking too hard about something.”

Scorpius didn’t respond.

Albus rested a hand on his arm. “You can tell me anything. I’m your best friend, Scorp.”

He was right. Scorpius knew he could tell him his deepest secrets, his dumbest worries, his craziest ideas, and he wouldn’t judge him for any of it. When Albus said he could trust him, that was a promise that wouldn’t be revoked.

Except maybe if Scorpius was to open up about his romantic desires.

He hesitated a moment before speaking, and when he did, the words all spilled out in a jumbled mess. “I…well, do you maybe want to possibly come over to my house sometime this summer?”

When Albus didn’t respond right away, it just caused more messy words to pour from his mouth. “I mean if you don’t want to that’s okay, but I’m really gonna miss you and it would make me really happy but you probably don’t want to so—”

“Scorpius,” Albus interrupted, and when he looked up at him, his eyes were glowing and a smile was growing. “Of course I’ll come visit you. I was going to ask the same thing, but you beat me to it.”

“Oh. Okay,” Scorpius replied, a smile forming on his own face. “Good. It’ll be fun.”

Albus grinned. “For the record, I would’ve missed you too. I do every summer. It’s awfully boring without you around.”

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, you have two siblings and parents with a lifetime of stories to tell. Have you met my dad?”

“Alright, I take that back. It’s not boring. It’s _intolerable_.” Then the two boys dissolved into laughter, and any nerves Scorpius had left seemed to melt away.

Eventually, the giggling faded, and they were left gazing at each other. Scorpius was just about ready to look away and dissolve any awkward tension before it started, but more words fell from his mouth. “My mother’s gone.”

Albus’ eyes widened for a moment, and then suddenly his arms were wrapped tight around him, and Scorpius was clinging to him like a baby koala, letting his tears spill onto his shoulder.

“She’s gone, Albus,” he mumbled between sobs and heavy breaths. “I miss her so much already.”

Albus ran his hands up and down Scorpius’ back. “I know,” he murmured in his ear. “It’s okay. You can miss her as much as you need to.”

He buried his face in Albus’ neck, calming himself by breathing in the familiar scent of his sweater. Everything hurt, and he knew it would for some time, but holding on to Albus like this—as pathetic as he felt—made it at least a little more bearable. This was what he needed. This was what he couldn’t go a whole summer without.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Albus continued rubbing his back and shoulders, and suddenly the motion of the train slowed and then came to a stop. “Looks like we’re here,” he said softly.

Scorpius didn’t want to go. The last thing he needed right now was to be separated from his best—only—friend. But his father would be waiting for him, and Albus’ family for him. 

He started to pull back out of the embrace, but Albus just drew him closer. “Wait. I…I don’t want to leave yet.”

So they stayed like that, locked in each other’s arms, for a few minutes until it was clear that almost every student had already exited the train. It was warm, it was comfortable, and it was the happiest Scorpius had felt since his mother’s death, even if “happy” wasn’t precisely the word he would use to describe the moment. He was sad beyond comprehension, miserable and devastated, but at least he had a spark of hope, a person who could keep him on his feet after all he’d been through.

When they knew they needed to leave, they finally pulled away from each other and stood up, gathering their belongings and heading out of the compartment. Once they stepped onto the platform, however, Albus grabbed Scorpius by the arm.

“I never said thank you in return.”

Scorpius looked at him, puzzled. “What do you have to thank me for?”

Albus pulled him closer. “For being my friend. For everything.”

Scorpius noticed his father standing nearby, towards the front of the crowd of families. His arms were crossed, his face turned in a frown, but anyone who really knew him would be able to see that he wasn’t really angry or impatient. He would let his son take as much time as he needed.

He saw Albus’ family, too. James and Lily were already with them, talking animatedly to their parents. Harry glanced around, his attention split between listening to two of his children and searching for the third. He didn’t really look worried, just excited to see him.

That’s when Scorpius made a split-second decision.

“Thank you for being my friend, too, Albus,” he said. And then he leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

It was over as soon as it started and honestly so fast that Scorpius wasn’t sure if he had even done it, but it left them both blushing furiously and caused Scorpius to mutter something incoherent about making plans for a visit as soon as he got home. He gave Albus one last smile, which he thankfully returned, and then ran as quickly as he could over to his waiting father.

“What was that all about?” Draco asked as Scorpius stopped abruptly in front of him, red-cheeked and panting.

Scorpius felt his face turn even warmer. “Did you…see it?”

His father raised an eyebrow and nodded, and Scorpius felt like running away and burying himself in a hole forever.

“I…um, I don’t know,” he responded, staring at the floor, at the ceiling, anywhere but his father.

Draco continued to study him, and Scorpius thought he saw him smile. “Are you and Albus—”

“No!” he shouted, a little too loudly. “I mean, not like that. Not yet.”

He was definitely grinning now. “Not yet?”

“Dad!” Scorpius groaned. “Let’s go.”

He watched as his father looked at something across the platform, and he followed his gaze to see Albus, joining his family with the bright smile Scorpius had grown to love. His face was still a little pink as well, and Scorpius swore he saw his hands trembling, just a little bit.

He should’ve felt as if he’d ruined their friendship, ruined all that they had built together, but for some reason everything seemed even better. As his father finally took his arm and began to walk away, he met Albus’ eyes one last time.

“Bye, Scorp!” he shouted across the station, his eyes beaming and smile wide.

Scorpius waved and smiled in return.

 


End file.
